How to eat Maine Lobster!

How do you eat a Maine Lobster? Well... there are
as many correct answers to that question as there are experienced
Lobster eaters. But if you need a little help, the steps below will ease
you through the process. Even the experienced Lobster veteran may learn
something here. Ready for your lesson? Let's begin!

Part A -- The Claws:

1. Twist off the claws so that they break off at the end where the
"arms" connect to the body. FYI: The larger of the 2 claws is called the
"crusher claw," the smaller is called the "tearing claw." We don't have any
suggestions about which one to eat first; we do strongly recommend, however,
that you eat them both!

2. Bend the "arms" back to separate them from the main (pincher)
part of the claws. Crack open the segments to get the tasty morsels out of
these small parts. (Cracking open the parts of the shell can be acheived
using one or more of the following: Nutcracker, pliers, knife, hammer, rock,
whatever else looks like it might work.)

3. Pull the small section of the claw back until it separates from
the larger section. Sometimes, the meat in this section comes loose when the
claw separates. Otherwise, you'll have to pry the meat out of the small
section of the claw using one tine of a fork.

4. Break off the tip of the remaining (larger) section of the claw.
Make sure to break it off far enough down to be able to insert a finger in
the resulting hole. (Examine your fingers for a more precise measurement.)

5. Carefully (We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself) stick a finger
into the hole you just made to push the meat out of the other end.

Congratulations! You got through the claws, the part of the Lobster that
about 1/2 the Lobster-eaters we know consider to be their favorite part.
Let's move to the part that the other 1/2 claims is best.

Part B -- The Tail:

1. Gently bend the tail back until it separates from the body. It's
important to be gentle here, because the body contains a lot of excess
water. Bending the tail back with all your might is likely to cause Lobster
juice to spray all over yourself or your friends. (In some circles, this is
considered impolite.)

2. Bend the flippers back to remove them from the tail. (Again, be
gentle to avoid spraying. See Part B -- The Tail: Section 1) By the way, the
flippers contain little tiny pieces of tasty meat; an added bonus for those
who don't mind a little extra work.

3. Stick a finger through the hole where the flippers used to be to
push the tail meat out the other end. Sometimes, it's necessary to break
some of the "ribs" on the underside of the tail to make this possible.

4. Peel back the top of the tail. This section is quite tasty, and
removing it exposes the long "vein" that runs the length of the tail. This
is very important: That long "vein" should be removed before eating the rest
of the tail meat. Why is that so important? Because that's not really a
"vein" at all! It's the Lobster's digestive tract. (Get the picture?)

Ok, that's as much of the Lobster as some people eat. True hardcore
Lobster lovers will tell you, though, that there's a lot of edible parts you
still haven't touched. If you got this far, and your still craving more
delicious Maine Lobster, what follows is a list of your remaining options,
in order of popularity.

Part C -- The Rest of the Lobster:

1. The Legs -- Break the legs away from the body, then break off the
other end (the part that looks like little mini-claws). Stick one end of the
leg in your mouth and suck the meat out in much the same way that you might
suck on a straw sticking out of a frozen Strawberry Daquiri. In fact, some
people claim that alternating Lobster legs with sips off a Strawberry
Daquiri enhances the experience (but they're not the kind of people that we
take very seriously).

2. The Body -- Pulling the red shell off of the back of the body
reveals small chunks of meat. How much meat varies greatly from Lobster to
Lobster, but hardcore Lobster enthusiasts say that it's worth the effort.
Take a look and decide for yourself.

3. Miscellaneous -- There is more that you'll encounter inside a
Lobster's shell; some of it's edible, some of it's not. Way up in the front
of the body (behind the eyes) you might see a little black ball. That's the
Lobster's brain. Edible? No. The gills are also not edible. The green stuff
is called "tomalley" (or "tomale") and some people consider it a delicacy.
In female Lobsters, sometimes you find an orange substance called "roe."
These are unfertilized eggs, and some people say that they're delicious.

Well... That's it. We hope you learned something here to help enhance
your Lobster dining experience. If we left anything out, be sure to let us
know. And above all... Enjoy your Lobster!!!

Highlights of our Maine Lobster website

Read our Lobster F.A.Q. page to read answers to many questions about Maine lobsters, and find more lobster information than you would ever expect in one source.